Caney Fork Valley Waterfalls (9-18-16)

Just south of the college town of Cullowhee, North Carolina (home to Western Carolina University) is the beautiful Caney Fork Valley. Draining into this valley are a number of pretty little streams, all quite remote, many sporting beautiful little cascades as they tumble down from the ridges above. On this day I'd picked a collection of five waterfalls to visit. There are actually at least seven in the Caney Fork watershed but these five are the most accessible due to ease of access and the relatively short walk needed to reach them.

In order of how I visited them, my destinations for the day were...Rough Butt Creek Falls, the Upper and Lower Falls on Sugar Creek, Dryland Laurel Branch Falls, and finally Moses Creek Falls. None of the falls have officially maintained trails to them but they all see just enough traffic that the routes to them are generally open and easy to follow (with the possible exception of the route between the Sugar Creek cascades). Round-trip, the longest hike is the 3-miles to Moses Creek and I only had to log 8-miles to see this entire collection. Not a bad waterfalls-to-miles-hiked ration if I do say so myself! A warning though, if you're looking to see massive cascades these are not going to impress you. The beauty in the waterfalls surrounding Caney Fork is in their solitude not their size. Each is a uniquely delicate beauty tucked away into seldom-visited coves of thick forest surrounding rocky-moss lined streams. I was told I'd likely have these waterfalls all to myself and I certainly did!

The best resource to have if you decide to visit for yourself is Kevin Adams' North Carolina Waterfalls...which is pretty much the definitive guide for visiting any waterfall in the state. I'll try to include some basic info about each hike but the book is necessary for best locating them and complete descriptions of the routes to each. That said, I now invite you to join me on an afternoon full of falling water. It was a fantastic day of waterfall hunting and I couldn't have been happier with what I found, even if rain did eventually chase me off. So...come along with me to the secluded coves of the Caney Fork Valley and see what I discovered. As always...ENJOY!!!

The hike to the falls begins at the intersection of Caney Fork and Ruff Butt Road, pictured here. Parking along Caney Fork Road I'd be following Ruff Butt Road for about a quarter mile before entering the woods...

Ruff Butt Road

The road is private but I didn't see any 'No Trespassing' signs along it so apparently hikers are welcome as long as they behave themselves...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

The road degrades to a two-track about a quarter mile in and soon runs right into Rough Butt Creek. I could see the trail road continuing up the hill across the stream so I made the dicey rock-hop across (which would be very tricky at high water) to continue on...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

After crossing the creek the road immediately started to climb the hillside away from the creek...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

After an initial steep grade the route leveled out a bit...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

Crossing a rather rugged slide area. Easy enough to cross on foot but if you're thinking of taking your four-wheel-drive up here be aware this section would involve some fairly serious rock-crawling...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

The slightest hint of color could be seen on the surrounding hillsides...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

To my left the creek could still be heard but it was far, far below by this point...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

Rounding this large rock cleft I would soon be reaching the important junction with Rough Butt Creek where I'd be turning off the road...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

The level path as it approaches Rough Butt Creek...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

As I approached the crossing of the creek a number of pretty cascades could be seen tumbling by below...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

Arriving at the ford of Rough Butt Creek. From here I'd be leaving the old road and following a faint scramble path upstream. To reach the path I'd be ascending the bank on the far side of the stream, marked by the break in the rhododendron seen in the left-center of this shot...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

Scenic Rough Butt Creek seen mid-ford...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

I found the scramble path that follows the creek upstream to be fairly easy to follow, with one exception seen here...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

Closely following the creek...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

The path from the road to the falls is only around a tenth of a mile long and stays quite close to the creek the whole way...

Rough Butt Creek Falls Trail

Arriving at Rough Butt Creek Falls...

Rough Butt Creek Falls

At around thirty feet in height Rough Butt Creek Falls is no monster but it is a beauty...

Rough Butt Creek Falls

I was pleasantly surprised that, despite our run of recent dry weather, the falls was as full as it was. Also, I found the huge boulder poised at the upper brink of the cascade quite cool...

Rough Butt Creek Falls

A quick video if Rough Butt Creek Falls...

Rough Butt Creek Falls

One down...four to go! It was time to make the return 1.5-mile hike to the car and head for my next trailhead...

Sugar Creek & Dryland Laurel Branch Falls Route Map

My trek to falls on Sugar Creek as well as Dryland Laurel Branch Falls as tracked by Gaia GPS and depicted a la Google Earth...

Sugar Creek & Dryland Laurel Branch Falls Route Map

My trek to falls on Sugar Creek as well as Dryland Laurel Branch Falls as tracked by Gaia GPS...

Sugar Creek Road 'Trailhead'

I put trailhead in quotes as the start to the hike begins at a point where two-wheel drive vehicles should go no further. It's at a point on Sugar Creek Road where the road first crosses the stream, seen here. If you have a high-clearance four-wheel drive you can possibly make it another four-tenths of a mile to where the unmaintained trail begins...

Sugar Creek Road/Trail

After crossing the bridge the roads ascends at a gentle grade...

Sugar Creek Road/Trail

Things I don't like passing in the woods...bears, moose, and sketchy hunting camps draped in confederate flags...

Sugar Creek Road/Trail

Less than a quarter mile from where I parked the road makes a shallow ford of Sugar Creek...

Sugar Creek Road/Trail

Continuing the gentle ascent...

Sugar Creek Road/Trail

At a point about four-tenths of a mile from where I parked Sugar Creek Road makes a sharp hairpin left. The 'trail' to the falls heads upstream from the outside of the curve (straight ahead in this shot)...

Sugar Creek Trail

The beginning of the overgrown trail to the falls as seen from the curve on Sugar Creek Road...

Sugar Creek Trail

The path was fairly overgrown but it was still obvious...

Sugar Creek Trail

Perhaps a tenth of a mile from the gravel road the 'trail' reaches an open area high above the creek where you can just barely make out Dryland Laurel Branch Falls through the trees across the way. This is the point where I needed to descend to the creek to see the lower falls...

Lower Sugar Creek Falls

The 30-foot lower falls on Sugar Creek is delicately beautiful. It turned out to be my favorite of the day. The fallen log across the middle of the falls was problematic for photos but it didn't detract much from the overall beauty of the scene...

Lower Sugar Creek Falls

The delicately beautiful lower falls on Sugar Creek. I particularly liked the coloring of the rocks here...

Lower Sugar Creek Falls

A quick video of Lower Sugar Creek Falls...

Dryland Laurel Branch Falls

Hopping across Sugar Creek from the lower falls its only a short scramble up to the base of tiny Dryland Laurel Branch Falls...

Dryland Laurel Branch Falls

A quick video of Dryland Laurel Branch Falls. Its not much of a cascade but, being right next to the lower falls its definitely worth a look...

Sugar Creek Trail

My next quarry would be the upper falls on Sugar Creek. The route to them began by climbing the bank seen here to the left of Lower Sugar Creek Falls...

Sugar Creek Trail

Above the lower falls now I discovered a distinct lack of trail. According to Kevin Adams guide there was an old logging grade just uphill from here so I set about locating it...

Sugar Creek Trail

The logging grade was obvious and quickly found. From here I'd follow it a short distance upstream to the next falls...

Sugar Creek Trail

The logging grade soon came to an open area above the stream at a point where it makes a sharp left uphill. The best way to the falls, I determined, was to scramble down to the creek from here and head up to the base of the falls from there...

Upper Sugar Creek Falls

The upper falls is just about the same size as it lower companion but has a distinctly different feel. The side profile you get from along the stream and the way the falls changes direction at the base make it a fascinating cascade to see...

Upper Sugar Creek Falls

A close up and personal look at the spectacular upper falls on Sugar Creek...

Upper Sugar Creek Falls

A quick video of Upper Sugar Creek Falls...

Moses Creek Falls Route Map

My trek to falls on Moses Creek Falls as tracked by Gaia GPS and depicted a la Google Earth...